Superheavy intended for next test flight damaged during static fire test
Click for source.
According to video taken by the Labpadre live stream of SpaceX’s operations at Boca Chica, the Superheavy booster that the company was preparing for the next orbital test flight was damaged while it was being fueled for a static fire test.
The video, which I have embedded below, suggests a tank rupture occurred in the booster’s lower section, where its main oxygen tanks are located. Another post-incident image from different source on social media and to the right, shows the hull of that section badly deformed, with the far side not visible apparently blown out. It also appears the test stand experienced no or little damage.
This incident will likely delay the next orbital Starship/Superheavy test flight, but not significantly. SpaceX has more prototype Superheavys in the queue. While it might need to do some quick additional work preparing one, that should’t slow things down by much.
Figuring out what happened to cause this burst tank is more likely to cause a delay. The company needs to identify and fix the issue before it can proceed.
Booster 18 seems to have just exploded during testing at the Massey outpost. pic.twitter.com/fmVdYPmWvA
— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) November 21, 2025
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Click for source.
According to video taken by the Labpadre live stream of SpaceX’s operations at Boca Chica, the Superheavy booster that the company was preparing for the next orbital test flight was damaged while it was being fueled for a static fire test.
The video, which I have embedded below, suggests a tank rupture occurred in the booster’s lower section, where its main oxygen tanks are located. Another post-incident image from different source on social media and to the right, shows the hull of that section badly deformed, with the far side not visible apparently blown out. It also appears the test stand experienced no or little damage.
This incident will likely delay the next orbital Starship/Superheavy test flight, but not significantly. SpaceX has more prototype Superheavys in the queue. While it might need to do some quick additional work preparing one, that should’t slow things down by much.
Figuring out what happened to cause this burst tank is more likely to cause a delay. The company needs to identify and fix the issue before it can proceed.
Booster 18 seems to have just exploded during testing at the Massey outpost. pic.twitter.com/fmVdYPmWvA
— LabPadre Space (@LabPadre) November 21, 2025
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
To put it mildly!
Super Heavy in version 3 hasn’t undergone quite as much revision as Starship, so this is somewhat of a surprise.
I think the general consensus is that Booster 18 is a write-off, though no doubt components of it could be salvaged. The good news is, no equipment or infrastructure at Massey’s seems to have damaged by this!
I was curious where things stood in the pipeline, and NSF has an update on that in its writeup this morning:
As for what this means for the program, SpaceX currently has zero completed flight boosters and will have to switch gears to Booster 19. Currently, Booster 19 hasn’t even started its stacking process in Mega Bay 1, and even if it were to start today, barring any investigation and modification time, the booster wouldn’t be ready for cryogenic proof testing until at least the end of January.
This is certainly not the start to the Block 3 era that SpaceX would’ve wanted, but it’s a good thing this happened during proof testing at Masseys and not during a 33-engine static fire attempt on Pad 2. As for what was to be its other half, Ship 39 is now stacked in Mega Bay 2 and will be outfitted after finishing stacking on Nov 15, 2025. It will be a bit before this vehicle can head out to Masseys for testing, as the Ship Cryo Thrust Stand is currently in use by S39.1.
Link: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/11/booster-18-anomaly-proof-testing/
P.S. The other consideration, as Ryan Weber’s NSF article notes, is that they need another booster to commission Pad 2 once its ready — to test all the new tank farm equipment. That has to be accomplished before they can even start the launch prep for Flight. Weber notes that they might be able to throw together part of a booster or modify a remaining V2 booster to do it in an ad hoc way, but without inside information that’s speculative. I’m sure Elon has asked that question in the post-incident team meeting today.
So, probably a 6-8 week delay here. Which sucks, but it’s not really that much in the grand scheme of things. Had it blown up stuff at Masseys again, that delay would be longer.
I’ve seen speculation regarding a COPV failure, which seems possible and has been a past problem. But you have to have a COPV pop that weakens the O2 tank and allows it to rupture. Seems questionable.
Also, the V3 SH has a MUCH larger internal methane downcomer with associated piping, but I have a hard time with the physics that provide an overpressure of that component without damaging the methane tank at the top, also.
But, we should not rule out a failure of the GSE equipment on the test stand, since that was completely rebuilt after the S36 failure, and this was it’s first use, as well. An overpressure due to a failed test or pressure-relief valve would be a possible root cause.
One thing’s for sure: SpaceX will be all over it, and back to testing very quickly.
Say what you will about SLS–it isn’t limber. Fully laden, it is supported by two huge solids.
The shuttle ET was even more impressive, having to support the dead weight of a fully laden orbiter off to the side. For in-line use, maybe they can get away with composites.
I dare Elon and his Bocans to even try to build something like that.
I am not *too* surprised at this. It isn’t Atlas balloon tank–but it isn’t R-7 either. It might be that Musk was trying to increase Starship’s payload by shaving a tad too much off.
Holding something by a top rim means no legs and less weight.
Looks like the lower portion of the tanks let loose and the siphoning of the Lox sucked in the top of the tank.
Cute.
Jeff Wright
Why do I get the idea your giggling.
Richard M wrote:
“So, probably a 6-8 week delay here.”
Yeah it sucks but compared to the old way of Rocketry – back in the stone knives and bearskin days that Artemis has rekindled – it would have been years.
pzatchok
Why do I get the idea your giggling?
https://www.google.com/search?q=renfield+laugh+giggle&rlz=1C1GCEW_enUS1189US1189&oq=renfield+laugh+giggle&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDg0MjlqMGo5qAIAsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5287f41f,vid:PYVXNgNdRKE,st:0
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket withstood Hurricane Nicole in November 2022, as it was designed to endure strong winds up to 85 mph (74.4 knots) at the 60-foot level, with additional structural margin. Although winds at the pad reached 100 mph (160 kph) gusts, the rocket’s design limits were not exceeded and its launch was only delayed by a few days.
Worry not–I suffer the same affliction as SuperHeavy–and I know just the fix:
https://comfort-truss.com/products/power-t-strap-for-comfort-truss-hernia-support-belt
“Oh, uh.. that’s my rather elaborate network of trusses. I will need your help with a couple of these. I got the old hernia truss here.. and I got a spleen truss, it opens up with a couple of snaps here in the back…”
Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute
Bob – Your post refers to this as happening during fueling for a static fire test. That’s incorrect. This didn’t even happen at a stand where static fires are performed, and no fuel was present. This was purely a cryogenic tank test.
Elon’s spokesman
https://www.reddit.com/r/rickygervais/comments/vttcb6/all_of_karls_cant_be_botheredness_crammed_in_a/
Well, that’s why you test.
SLS is a dead end and should have been killed years ago. Solids have more in common with fireworks than rocketry and should never be used when humans are to fly on a launch vehicle.
Thus this concept:
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.servimg.com%2Fu%2Ff79%2F17%2F24%2F79%2F25%2Fhybrid11.jpg&hash=30e0b400c07bf2850f45a867a84510b7
Or this LFBs
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/attachments/90-and-230-270-tonnes-jpg.47102/
But space privatizers would likely have opposed funding those too. Shuttle was to be a VTOHL TSTO, before solids were foisted on it BY cost cutters…and the Air Farce.
This seems like a pretty good analysis (if you can stand the embedded commercials).
https://youtu.be/2mYXI6WRwqI
David Eastman,
Apparently there weren’t even any cryogenics involved. This anomaly occurred during an ambient temperature pressure test using gaseous nitrogen as the pressurant.
It’s really deranged that NASA continues to insist on sticking its astronauts on a launcher with huge honking solid rocket boosters. But the Utah congressional delegation always gets a vote.
RGV Aerial just did their flyover of Massey’s, and someone posted some screen shots of the video over at the NSF forum thread on this accident. And….man. The downcomer looks intact (though it’s hard to tell for sure), but the damage to the booster is a lot worse than I thought based on the photos initially released. That thing is toast.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=63923.msg2737091#msg2737091
Someone on X noted that “there appears to be a hole punched in the transfer tube near the base. That strongly implies an energetic explosion from outside the tank.” Scott Manley thought enough of the observation to re-tweet it.
It’s not clear if a COPV actually *caused* the accident, initially, but it now seems likely to be the source of the higher energy event that destroyed B18.
Richard M: Though I really am unqualified to analyze the explosion, these overhead pictures confirm precisely what the first ground pictures suggested. One side of the rocket on its lower half blew out. The initial pictures were from the undamaged side, but they showed the expanded edges of that blown out section. I don’t see the damage as “worse” than initially released. I see it as exactly what I expected.
Nonetheless, it was a big boom. Needs understanding before the next flight.
What is truly astonishing is intact the booster is, considering what happened.
A perfect replacement for the MD-11